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News: Farmers’ organisations claim that the Centre’s potato procurement price is only about half of the actual input cost.
About Potato Cultivation in India
- It is a root vegetable plant native to America and domesticated in Peru about 6000 years ago.
- In India, it was introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and since then, it has become an important vegetable across India.
- Geographical conditions required for its growth:
- Climate: It thrives in temperate climates where the growing season remains moderately cool.
- Temperature: An ideal temperature range for its growth is 18–29°C during the day and 13–18°C at night.
- Vegetative growth is best around 24°C, and tuber formation is optimal at about 20°C.
- Sunlight: It requires at least six hours of sunlight daily, though it can also grow under partial or dappled shade.
- Soil: It requires a well-drained, well-aerated, porous soil with a pH of 5 to 6.
- Loamy and sandy loam soils that are rich in organic matter, well-drained, and well-aerated are most suitable for its cultivation.
- Water requirement: It is relatively sensitive to soil water deficits. To optimise yields, the total available soil water should not be depleted by more than 30 to 50 per cent.
- Potato production in India
- India is the second-largest producer of potatoes in the world after China.
- Its higher productivity level is confined mainly to the Indo-Gangetic plains and plateau regions, producing about 90% of potatoes.
- Production: Between 1991-92 and 2020-21:
- Potato cultivated area has doubled from 11 to 22 lakh hectares
- Production tripled from 181.95 to 561.72 lakh metric tonnes
- Productivity increased by over 50%—from 16 to 25 metric tonnes per hectare.
- Top producing states: The 74% of its total output is from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar.
- Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Haryana, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh also have significant production.
About Operation Greens
- It was introduced to stabilize the supply of tomato, onion, and Potato (TOP) crops.
- Nodal Ministry: It was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) in 2018.
- Implementing agency: It is being implemented by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED).
- Scheme type: It is a Central Sector Scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY).
- Objectives:
- Boost income for TOP farmers by strengthening production clusters, FPOs, and market linkages.
- Stabilise prices through better production planning and the use of dual-purpose varieties.
- Reduce post-harvest losses with farm-gate infrastructure, improved logistics, and storage near consumption centres.
- Expand processing capacity and value addition with strong links to production clusters.
- Develop a market intelligence system for real-time data on demand, supply, and prices of TOP crops.
- Components: The scheme has two components:
- Short-term strategy, i.e. Price Stabilisation Measures through the grant of transportation /storage subsidy.
- Long-term strategy focuses on creating post-harvest processing facilities, agri-logistics, and capacity building for Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs).
About From TOP to TOTAL
- In 2020, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) extended the Operation Greens scheme from Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) to all fruits & vegetables (TOTAL) as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
- It was initiated for a period of six months on a pilot basis but has now been further expanded and extended.
- Eligible Crops:
- Fruits- Mango, Banana, Guava, Kiwi, Litchi, Papaya, Mousambi, Orange, Kinnow, Lime, Lemon, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Jackfruit, Apple, Almond, Aonla, Passion fruit, Pear, Mandarins;
- Vegetables – French beans, Bitter Gourd, Brinjal, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chillies (Green), Okra, Cucumber, Peas, Garlic, Onion, Potato, Tomato, Turmeric (raw).
- Any other fruit/vegetable can be added in future based on recommendations by the Ministry of Agriculture or the State Government
- Eligible Entities: It includes:
- Food processors, FPOs/FPCs, Co-operative Societies, Individual farmers, Licensed Commission Agents, Exporters, State Marketing/Co-operative Federation, Retailers, etc., engaged in processing/ marketing of fruits and vegetables.
- Pattern of Assistance: It provides a 50% subsidy on transportation and storage to reduce post-harvest losses and prevent distress sales by farmers.
